Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Live Blog between Golden Knights, Hurricanes

Welcome to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes.

NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Bill Price was inside Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, to provide all the sights, sounds and highlights in our Game 2 live blog.

11:25 p.m. ET

And that's it. Carolina wins in OT on a goal by Seth Jarvis. I called it. 

We head back to Vegas tied 1-1 after a miracle comeback by the Canes. 

What a game, what a series. Just wow.

11:22 p.m. ET

We have our first shovel break of overtime and the tension in here is growing. 

And now Carolina is going to the power play with 16:43 left on a tripping call by Hertl. 

The tarps are coming off a record rate as well. Someone had a sign that said, "Less Shirts, More Shots." Pretty funny. 

Carolina has come out strong, putting together some good shifts in its offensive zone. 

The crowd is chanting "let's go Canes." 

Someone who is really upset about that late Vegas goal in regulation is Stormy the Hurricanes mascot. Tracey Myers said she walked passed Stormy and he was not happy.

11:15 p.m. ET

And overtime has begun. 

The DJ played "Don't Stop Believing" during the break. 

I have my thoughts on that song, but I will save them for another time. 

As I said when it happened, the in-arena host also said the tarps off movement by the Carolina fans sparked the comeback. He is even calling for more no tarps. Is that like more cowbell?

They now have an official tarps off rally guy.

It's all happening. 

Something to keep in mind going to overtime, both teams are unbeaten in overtime this postseason. 

Something has to give. 

Any predictions for overtime? 

I'll give with Seth Jarvis for Carolina and Brett Howden (who else) for Vegas. 

As for that Vegas challenge in the third period, here is the explanation from the NHL. 

Explanation:
The play on the ice was challenged under Rule 38 – Coach’s Challenge. Rule 38.1 states, “In all Coach’s Challenge situations, the original call on the ice will be overturned if, and only if, a conclusive and irrefutable determination can be made on the basis of video evidence that the original call on the ice was clearly not correct. If a review is not conclusive and/or there is any doubt whatsoever as to whether the call on the ice was correct, the original call on the ice will be confirmed.”

Video review confirmed the call on the ice that Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev interfered with Frederik Andersen and impaired his ability to play his position in the crease prior to the puck entering the Carolina net. 

Penalty: 2:00 minor penalty: Delay of Game – Unsuccessful Challenge

11:02 p.m. ET

And we going to overtime after a wild third period. 

Holy heck what a game here. 

There is so much at stake in overtime - Vegas can go up 2-0 and really put a dent in Carolina's spirit with a win. Carolina can tie the series and take the momentum with them to Vegas. 

As Nick Cotsonika just said - "Are you not entertained?"

10:58 p.m. ET 

Well, well. We are tied again. 

Vegas scores with 1:21 left in regulation to make it a 3-3 game and this place is stunned again. 

What an absolute classic - again.

10:54 p.m. ET 

Hold the party. Vegas is on the power play with just about 3:30 left now looking to tie the game. 

The fans weren't happy with the call, but now Carolina's PK has to come through.

10:51 p.m,. ET

And Carolina cashes in on the power play just 25 seconds later on a goal by the captain Jordan Staal and this place is bonkers. 

I can't wait for the postgame to see what Vegas says about that challenge, which was wrong and led to the go-ahead goal for the Hurricanes. 

4:35 left and Carolina has the lead.

10:50 p.m. ET

We just had a crazy moment here with exactly 5 minutes left. 

Freddy Andersen just saved the Hurricanes' bacon after Ivan Barbeshev stole the puck in the zone, went behind the net and came back around the side. 

It eventually went in, with Andersen being pushed in, but the refs waived it off. 

Vegas challenged that Andersen carried the puck over the goal line and wasn't pushed by a Vegas player. But to no avail and now Carolina gets a power play. 

Whoa.

10:43 p.m. ET

Looking at replay of the Jankowski goal again, William Carrier made an insane pass to Jankowski while on the ice to get him open for the goal. 

Now the crowd is chanting "Freddy, Freddy" after Freddy Andersen stopped a Grade A Vegas chance. 

This crowd is rocking now and with 5:46 left in regulation, it's 2-2. 

Carolina looked dead in the water, but honestly, the Tarps Off For The Boys turned this whole game around, maybe the series. 

We are probably in next-goal-wins territory, so nothing is over, but the Canes certainly have the momentum on their side now.

10:38 p.m. ET

And just like that, we are tied 2-2. The Canes strike with 7:14 left on a broken play that results in Mark Jankowski coming in and beating Hart. 

Holy hell, what a turnaround in this game and this series. Now this place is off the charts. I may take my tarp off. (Just kidding).

10:36 p.m. ET

Just as I predicted - it doesn't take a genius to figure it out - the vibe in here has completely changed after the Stankoven goal. 

The fans are on their feet, the tarps are off and the Hurricanes are buzzing. 

Can Vegas hold on for another 8 minutes or so and get out of here with a 2-0 lead in the series?

10:34 p.m. ET

The tarps off craze has hit Raleigh, with several male fans removing their shirts to get the Canes going. 

It wasn't a pretty sight. 

But it worked, Carolina is on the board with 9:40 left. Logan Stankoven comes from the behind the goal, throws the puck on net and it somehow goes in and now this place is nuts. It's 2-1 with plenty of time left and the decibel level is off the charts. 

Look for more shirts to come off. 

Needless to say, the NHL.com crew is remaining fully clothed.

10:30 p.m. ET

The Hurricanes are finally putting some pressure on the Golden Knights. K'Andre Miller looked to have an open net, but Dylan Coghlan got in front of the shot and blocked it with his body. 

Just another guy sacrificing his body for the good of the team. Incredible. 

We have under 9 minutes left here, it's 2-0 Vegas but Carolina is starting to generate some chances and some hope. 

In case you're wondering, Carolina has been shut out once this season - on Jan. 13 vs. the St. Louis Blues.

10:23 p.m. ET 

It's getting late early here in Raleigh for the Hurricanes, who trail 2-0 with 13:48 left in Game 2. They already lost Game 1, so are serious danger of falling behind 2-0. 

The crowd is rotating between being down, frustrated and supportive. I know this sounds like a Captain Obvious point, but if the Hurricanes can get a goal in the next few minutes, the whole vibe of this place will change. 

The DJ just played Kernfkraft 400 by Zombie Nation or it is the other way around? Either way, he's pulling out all the stops to get this crowd and team going. 

He might have to get the Led out again.

We do have our first AC/DC song of the night (TNT) during a shovel stoppage.  

FYI, Still no Brayden McNabb on the bench for Vegas. Not a shock. He took a 87 mph shot right to the face. ESPN reported he's in the hospital. Hope he's OK.

10:11 p.m. ET 

The third period has started and the Hurricanes need something, anything to get going. 

Since taking a 2-0 lead early in Game 1, they have been outscored 7-2, including 2-0 tonight. 

It's stunning to watch Carolina look so off-kilter, so starved for offense after I witnessed them dismantle the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. 

But that is what the Golden Knights are doing to them. 

Now, it's only 2-0 and this game is far from over. Every championship team faces moments of adversity, doubt on the championship road and this could be that time for Carolina, which went 12-1 through the first three rounds. 

The DJ just played Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll." 

Then Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan was the siren sounder for the third period.

9:53 p.m. ET

We've now played five periods in this Final and I think it's safe to say Vegas has been the better team for four of them.

Vegas is pretty much out-Hurricaning the Hurricanes. They are frustrating them with their forecheck, their in-your-face-approach and shot blocking ability.

We finally got some argy-bargy with 3:03 left in the second, a mild scrum breaking out behind the Vegas goal.

That got the crowd into it, but what this throng needs is a goal. Something it hasn't gotten through the first 40 minutes.

It finally got some Zeppelin with 1:08 left when the DJ played "Rock N Roll."

It seems like it's been a long time since the Hurricanes scored.

9:45 p.m. 

There is 3:36 left in the second period and it's still 2-0 Vegas. 

The Golden Knights had the chance to make it a 3-0 on the power play after Jordan Martinook got whistled for slashing at 13:55. 

The DJ even broke out the Pantera again to try to get the crowd and the Hurricanes going. 

The fans are now yelling at the ref because he called an obvious slash. I mean, he's just doing his job. 

But I think the Carolina fans would yell at their mother right now with how things have gone here.

Their team trails 2-0, and hasn't really sniffed a goal yet.  

Maybe the momentum from this penalty kill will get them going.

9:35 p.m. ET

We are more than halfway through the second period and the Vegas Golden Knights lead it 2-0 on goals by Brett Howden. 

Yes, that's right, two goals from Brett Howden. One on a somewhat flukey play, the other on a gorgeous goal when he beat Jaccob Slavin and Freddy Andersen on the same play. 

Meanwhile, Carter Hart is stopping everything thrown his way by the Hurricanes. 

Clearly, Carolina needs to get the next goal - it cannot fall behind 3-0 with the way Vegas and Hart are playing. 

Vegas almost got the next one, but Andersen made a nice save on a William Karlsson shot. 

The ice scrapers are out with 7:41 left in the second and it's 2-0 Vegas.

9:30 p.m. ET

The Brett Howden shoe is in full swing here. Seconds after Carolina kills a penalty and gets the crowd going, Howden comes in and scores a gorgeous goal, not only beating all-world defenseman Jaccob Slavin to the net, but using his body to shield off his check and then beating Freddy Andersen with a slick move. 

That's now 13 goals for Howden - yes, you read that right. The guy is on fire. 

Vegas now has two goals on six shots. 

Carolina needs a spark here. They look a step behind Vegas.

9:22 p.m. ET

As I said in the last post, Brayden McNabb is not on the bench for Vegas, which means it will play with five defensemen for the time being and possibly the rest of the game. That's a tough hit for Vegas. 

The fans are getting restless, and seem to be losing their patience with the Hurricanes, the refs. One fan in front of us is yelling at Seth Jarvis to get his head out of you know where. 

I'm not saying it's getting ugly, but if Vegas is able to make it 2-0, it could. And now Vegas is going to the power play with 14:44 left in the second. 

It's the same frustration I sensed in the fans in Montreal when the Canes were shutting their team down. 

It also could be due to the lack of AC/DC played tonight. 

That would drive anyone nuts.

9:15 p.m. ET

Here's the latest on Brayden McNabb -- who was drilled in the face by a slapshot in the first period. He did not come out to start the second period.  

The second period has started, the fans are trying to urge on the Hurricanes, who trail 1-0. 

I mentioned Toto in my previous post and it made me recall the DJ at our media party on Wednesday night in Raleigh. 

He played nothing by 70s and 80s pop songs, and I was in absolute heaven. 

I also realized how old I am as I had to tell some of the NHL.com crew some of the songs. 

NHL.com International Matt Cubeta had to ask me who sang "Down Under." I was stunned. That's an easy one. 

But then I pulled out my vast, but useless name that tune knowledge when I recognized Cliff Richards' "It's So Funny Why We Don't Talk Anymore" within two notes, and also got "Moonlight, Feels Right" by Starbuck in one note. 

I did get schooled by Mike Zeisberger, who's Canadian, when he flagged "Turn Me Loose" by Loverboy right away. 

As the second period begins, here are some nuggets from the NHLStats crew. 

Brett Howden scored his 12th goal of the postseason – now in sole possession of second place in Vegas history and one shy of the club record – and second of the 2026 Final.

Brett Howden (9 G in 10 road GP) became the 13th player in NHL history to score at least nine goals through his team’s first 10 road games of a postseason (or fewer). The others to do so since the start of the 1990s: Sam Bennett (9 in 2025 w/ FLA), Jonathan Marchessault (9 in 2023 w/ VGK), Leon Draisaitl (9 in 2023 w/ EDM; 6 GP), Mark Scheifele (11 in 2018 w/ WPG; 8 GP), Sidney Crosby (10 in 2009 w/ PIT), Pavel Datsyuk (9 in 2008 w/ DET), Claude Lemieux (9 in 1995 w/ NJD) and Kevin Stevens (9 in 1991 w/ PIT).

This is the first time since Game 4 of the Second Round that Carolina has allowed the first goal against and just the third time this postseason it has happened (also Game 2 vs. PHI). The Hurricanes won both previous contests and have won six in a row when allowing the first goal dating to March 20.

8:57 p.m. ET 

The first period is in the books and the Golden Knights have a 1-0 lead on Brett Howden's 12th goal of the playoffs.

The Canes outshot the Knights 6-2, but only the goals count when it comes to winning and losing. 

Carolina will need to figure out its power play - it's 0-2 for one shot. 

The only goal came on a flukey play, but that's all Vegas needed. 

Can the Hurricanes hold on? The DJ played Toto's "Hold the Line" at the end of the period to urge them on. 

One thing to keep an eye on when the second period starts is the status of Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb, who took an 87-mph slap shot to the face in the first period and went to the room.

8:53 p.m. ET

The Carolina power play is becoming a huge factor in this series, and that's not a good thing for Carolina. The Canes once again come up empty on with the man-advantage and are 0-for-2 tonight with just one shot on goal tonight.

You can sense the fans are starting to become frustrated with how this team is going. 

And now Vegas is going on the power play with 2:18 left in the second, Jordan Staal to the box for holding. 

There is a combination of woos and boos now.  

Going back to the goal for Brett Howden, that was his 12th of the postseason. That's in 18 games. 

He had 12 goals in 58 games during the regular season. 

If there are any New York Rangers fans out there, yes, this is the same Brett Howden who was traded to Vegas by the Rangers for Nick DeSimone and a 4th-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, on July 17, 2021.

8:46 p.m. ET

The Golden Knights are on the board. 

Brett Howden beats Sean Walker to a loose puck at the blue line, skates in and beats Freddy Andersen with just Vegas' second shot of the night. 

The play started when Mitch Marner flipped the puck off the wall and out of the zone, almost like a punt, and then Howden took it from there, staying onside and outmuscling Walker for the puck,  

This place is stunned. 

The Canes came right back and nearly scored, but Carter Hart is sharp and so is Vegas, blocking plenty of shots. 

It's 1-0 Vegas with 5:42 left in the first.

8:38 p.m. ET

Scary moment here with 9:08 left in the first. 

Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb took a rocket of a slapshot from Nikolaj Ehlers (87 mph) right to the face. He crumpled on the ice for a second and then got up and went right to the room. 

My Shazam app is on it tonight. 

It immediately recognized "Let's Get the Party Started" by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine fame. 

The fans want to get the party started, but the Canes are still not on the scoreboard. 

It's 0-0 but the Canes are starting to put on the pressure. They had five shots on goal since my last post, but Vegas goalie Carter Hart has been sharp. 

Still, it looks like the Canes are finding their game and this place is rocking now.

8:33 p.m. ET 

The first eight minutes of this game is a lot more of what we expected in this series - low shot total, low scoring chance total and lots of hitting and tight checking. 

With 12:23 left in the first, it's 0-0 and each team has one shot on goal. 

The Hurricanes seems just a tad off their game, missing some passes, but Vegas hasn't really made any push. 

One thing that amazes me in any hockey arena is how many fans do the Ric Flair "woooooo" cheer. 

I'm sure a good chunk of them don't know who Ric Flair is.

8:30 p.m. ET

If the Hurricanes are going to win the Stanley Cup, they need to get their power play going. After a rough night with the man advantage in Game 1, they failed on their first attempt in Game 2, getting just one shot on goal over the two minutes. They missed the net twice with pretty good looks. 

The Hurricanes get the first power play of the game, with Dylan Coghlan tripping Seth Jarvis along the board at 2:29. 

As Coghlan sits in the box, they play the Law and Order tone and the fans chant, "Cheaters Never Win." Pretty funny.

Still 0-0 about five minutes into the game.

8:20 p.m. ET

The puck has dropped here. The teams have the same lineups from Game 1, but the Canes certainly hope it's a different result. 

I expect to see Carolina play its best game tonight, it needs to, but that doesn't mean the Canes will win. The Golden Knights are an experienced, veteran and hungry group. 

Speaking of hungry, the media all got Shake Shack for the pregame meal tonight, so I am no longer hungry. 

Of course, Dan Rosen putting a big bag of pretzel M&Ms right next to me isn't helping my diet. 

Thanks Dan.

8:10 p.m. ET

The fans here are ready to go. The in-arena host told the crowd when ABC was coming on the air, so they were at full throat when the broadcast began. 

For the second straight night the DJ plays "The Rising," by Bruce Springsteen. 

Then they introduce Stanley Cup winning goalie Cam Ward to sound the siren before the game. 

And then, in certainly an interesting choice, they played Johnny Cash's version of U2's "One." 

Maybe they are giving the fans an emotional break before the game starts. 

That means we are just minutes away from the puck to drop here, which means we are just seconds away from "Rock You Like A Hurricane" blaring through this arena when the Hurricanes take the ice. 

They do a really great job of getting the fans amped up before the game, as if they need a little help. 

That being said, you can definitely sense some angst in the building tonight with Vegas having won Game 1, 5-4. 

One thing to look for early here is how the Canes come out. They were flying in Game 1, scoring just 25 seconds after the puck dropped, but it didn't last. 

I would also expect the Golden Knights to fire plenty of pucks at Carolina goalie Freddy Andersen, who was not great in Game 1. 

How crucial is this game? 

Consider this number from the crack NHLStats crew: 

Teams that take a 2-0 series lead in a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final own an all-time record of 50-5 (.909), including 10-2 (.833) when starting on the road.

When a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final is tied 1-1, the team that begins the series at home owns an overall record of 20-11 (.645).

7:50 p.m. ET

The teams are on the ice for warmups ahead of this massive game in Raleigh and the fans are ready. 

On ESPN, they showed a shot of each team before it went to the ice - Vegas looked like it was nice and loose while you could almost feel the Carolina intensity through the screen. 

The concourse was packed about an hour before game time, filled with fans getting their last bits of pregame food and drink. 

Of course, they were plenty of fans still outside enjoying another gorgeous day in the South. 

One fan I didn't see on my way to the arena was the "Honk If You Love Hockey" lady. Maybe she was parked in a different spot today. 

I also didn't have time to go see Hamilton the Pig today. Since the Canes lost Game 1 with him in attendance, I wonder if he came today. 

That being said, there were free pregame hot dogs for the media today. Hmmm. (Just kidding Hamilton). 

Besides the big game here tonight, the other pregame topic of conversation is the report from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has demanded a trade.

That certainly adds plenty of intrigue to this offseason. 

But again, that's the offseason, big game here tonight.

7:30 p.m. ET

We are about 40 minutes from puck drop, the tailgate parties in the parking lots are in full swing and there is a huge crowd in the parking lot concert for Dan + Shay (FYI, it’s not Dan Rosen and Shea Theodore).

While there is still a party atmosphere in Raleigh, it’s a little bit tempered with the Hurricanes losing Game 1 and absolutely needing to win tonight.

But don’t expect Vegas to be satisfied with a split. The Golden Knights have won seven in a row and would love nothing more to make it eight straight and bring the series back to Vegas up 2-0.

Before the players come out for warmups, you can check out all of the pregame content from the crack NHL.com crew right here. 

Be back in a little bit.